This is purely to make sure my one post per week vow is stuck to. Currently researching my cock off for my PhD (which I think I’ve largely come to terms with). Which isnt leaving a lot of time for other stuff, I’ve also been low level sick for the last week or so. Not enough to really take me out of it, but enough so that I’m always tired and fuzzy headed. Not fun. My nanowrimo attempt remains more or less stillborn since my last post. I’ve more or less decided on which basic story I’ll go with, but I’ve no words written, no real plot planned out and no time to really work on it. I think I’m going to sacrifice at least Sunday to it.
Even worse I’ve had next to no time to work on Ave Imperator, which is something I really want to get stuck into. Well thats not entirely true, I’ve refined some of the basic design and nailed down (at least in my head) the core functionality I want to include. Of course, as it always the way with such things, every time I try and think more about it I end up coming up with ideas for other games instead. One I would love to work on (but I dont think its achievable by oneself) is this:
Random game idea – Faust – You play a lord of hell locked in a battle for regency now that Lucifer has gone missing. Your legions are ready but you need to recruit strong souls to lead them. Gameplay consists of selecting various locations and locales on earth (played through in 3rd person/isometric view e.g. you could head to a town and run around a few screens worth of it, or a prison/school/battlefield/etc.) and going there to recruit humans by offering them faustian bargains. AI controlled rival Lords tempt the humans with counter offers. You can recruit both “named” and generic units (the named units tie into the games narrative). Back in Hell you wage a campaign (using a campaign map similar to Age of Legends/40K: Dark Crusade) to conquer the other lords. The battles are played out like a trad SRPG, your human recruits/souls are your main troops (perhaps you can upgrade, specialise them by combining them with various demons) – basically the soul management/upgrade system works like a reverse version of the demon breeding in Shin Megami Tensei Nocturne. Human souls work on a circular “emotion” aspect, similar to elemental strengths/weaknesses. Different emotions give rise to different powersets/abilities, you can try and “breed” the emotions you want offering further faustian deals. All Faustian deals (including the initial recruitment ones) cost a certain amount of demonic powere/potential – which you can increase by conquering other demon lords and enslaving them/annexing their territory. Tone/apperance somwhere between Solium Infernum and Digital Devil Saga/Demon Summoner, basically dark and primarily western in basic visual design but drawn in an “anime” style (ideally sprite based as well). Add in a solid narrative, a good (and extensive) post-game/skirmish mode, customisable traits for your demon lord, etc. and this would be more or less my perfect game. If I win the lotto (or make it big some other way, I am totally making this game).